The empty nest

How sweet it is...

The bedroom doors were open, the drapes pulled back, the sunlight streaming in, the beds made, the floors washed and garbage pails emptied.  Towels were folded and stacked neatly in the bathroom. The toilet was flushed, the bathtub clean and the floors free of footmarks. No unwanted items were on the kitchen table or counters, or in the dining room or living room.

I walked from room to room, admiring the spotless shine in my house.

The last of my three children left for his new apartment today. And just after his vehicle pulled away, with clothes and a mattress tied down with bungee cords to the roof, I had the house cleaned from top to bottom. The other two left a few months earlier.

I luxuriated in my quiet and undisturbed state. Twenty-two years of working exceptionally hard with my husband to raise a family healthy in mind, spirit and body is an accomplishment. A massive workout too!

It is now my turn to come into my own and be free from the daily grind of high-alert sensitivity to children’s needs, wants and impulses. The chronic concern for the well-being and safety of one’s children, the hurts and arguments, the housework, shopping and cooking, the round-the-clock management of emotions and expectations and, the moments of blessedness, have been temporarily suspended.

Of course, I’ll miss them. I might even have a few off days not knowing what to do with myself or, of feeling terribly lonely. But for now, I’m into the benefits: the new meditation room, the reading room and the exercise room. And, that's just the beginning.

Is an empty nest a possible metaphor for a new beginning? For seizing a new opportunity? What new beginnings are you facing?

Keep you posted,

Coach Minda